


Gilded Cage

by berrybliss



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: ....How Do I Tag, ...not, Arranged Marriage, But you already knew that, Kuroko's Parents have A+ Parenting, M/M, More characters to be added, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Royalty, Slow Build, a/b/o dynamics, there will be suffering, umm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-12 21:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7950472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berrybliss/pseuds/berrybliss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko Tetsuya is an omega from a privileged family, set to marry the crown prince of Teikou in three months time when he is of marriageable age. But when an encounter in the market with Seijuro sparks something he never thought he could have with someone, and their continued companionship turns into something more, things spiral out of control as things threatening to break them apart come to light. Seijuro too, has his own secrets, things which keep Kuroko in the dark. Can they stay together when the price named is unspeakably high, endangering the ones they hold dear?<br/>[ABANDONED]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gilded Cage

**Author's Note:**

> While the universe is A/B/O, unfortunately, there won't be much emphasis on actual A/B/O tropes (including heat and knots in general). So if you were looking for that, I'm sorry to say that this isn't the right place. Despite this, I wish you good luck on your quest. *salutes*  
> There will be a supernatural race mentioned much later on, and more characters and side pairings as the story progresses. The involvement of the other characters excluding Akashi and Kuroko remain unclear, for now. The Archive Warnings indicated are only a precautionary measure, and it is also unclear whether or not there will be content involving those specific warnings. If so, they will be indicated in the notes of future chapters.  
> (//laughs nervously//)  
> Enjoy!

**_~~~_ **

**_Part I: Corrupted Flower_ **

**_~~~_ **

The sun was blazing in the summer sky by the time Kuroko left his house, twin daggers tucked in his dress sleeves.

  
He woke up that morning dismayed to find out that his parents had another arrangement, and would be gone for the rest of the day. While once, he would have been relieved to hear the news, he only felt bitterness well up inside him, recalling the events of the previous night.

  
_“Once you turn eighteen, you are to be the wife of the crown prince-”_

  
_“-You are lucky that the prince is generous,” His father, a nightmare larger than life, “If it were up to us, you would have been sent off when you were thirteen.”_

  
Teeth clenched together, his hands trembled under the cloak.

  
_His mother, ghost thin fingers digging into his skin, a smile with no warmth, only expectation. “You won’t go and ruin all of our efforts to get you this far, will you?”_

  
_His answer, a haunting whisper and a burden to shoulder, obligation more than anything._

  
_“No.”_

  
Kuroko turned away from his view of the manor, shaking his head. He was barely holding it together as it is. He had no time to hesitate - this chance wasn’t going to come again anytime soon. He needed to make the most of it while he could.

  
The vast green of the hills seemed to go on for miles, but Kuroko knew better. The first time he felt the green grass beneath bare feet, he was ten, and when he was discovered, his feet were struck with a stick till they had red gashes. The first time he caught sight of a world outside the manor, the crueller the truth behind his life presented itself. It was his own share of freedom that came with a price, and he would not replace it with anything else in the world, because it was all he had.

  
Soon enough, the town was in sight. He quickened his pace, and blended in with the rest of the townsfolk, almost as if the town were his own home.

  
Despite being an omega, Kuroko was born with a fainter scent, and while it still had the sweet quality of an omega’s, it blended with others’ scents without difficulty. He was just like any passer-by, not paid any notice and easily missed. With his maximized low presence, he might as well have been invisible.

  
He did make sure to leave a note for one of the more trusted servants to see, so that they would not go out looking for him, and so it would not inconvenience anyone. It would hardly come as a surprise to them if they saw a note on his table top, or rather, they had given up on trying to stop him.

  
As far as he could see, town hadn’t changed much since the last time he visited. It still bustled with activity and life, people surely already up in the wee hours of the morning to get the best of the day’s catch. Stalls in the market displayed trade wares from all parts of Teikou, from fresh fruits, to trinkets, to carved statuettes of the royal family.

  
A shell of his former self, he found himself wandering familiar streets as a passing shadow, swearing he could almost see a much smaller child turning around to smile at him, a spark of hope in blue eyes the colour of the boundless sky. It was strange, at once familiar and strange.

  
The sight of it all brought a smile on his face all the same, and despite the heaviness in his heart, he found that it was the semblance of what he too, felt once.

  
He had always been a sentimental person.

 

Despite not having the appetite to eat, his hunger drove him to buy food from one of the stalls.

  
“Excuse me...”

  
The kindly lady showed no sign of hearing him. He patiently waited for her to hand over another customer’s purchase, and when she was no longer preoccupied, he tapped her shoulder, eliciting a response in the form of a startled yelp.

  
“I-is that...?” The colour that was drained from her face flooded back upon recognizing him, and her lips curved into a broad grin. “Kuroko-kun, is that really you? I’m not just seeing things, am I?”

  
She seemed genuinely happy to see him, and her enthusiasm made his cheeks heat up as he took off the hood.

  
“It’s been a while, Fumie-san.”

 

“You’ve grown so big since the last time you came!” She cooed, “That’s probably an exaggeration though, since the last time was.... what, three years ago? Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just overly happy about it, is all.”

 

He opted for a friendly conversation, the first thing that came to mind. “Is Ayato-kun well?”

  
She beamed at the mention of her son, “Yes, well, we’re doing just fine on our own. He... asks about his father sometimes, but that’s a given.” Pursing her lips, she smiled, a certain poignancy in the way she spoke, “He’ll... grow up to look just like him, I think.”

  
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Kuroko said sincerely. He had met the man only once - he was kind and brave, a man who loved his country and served his country well.

  
But Fumie only waved it off, shaking her head. “It was a long time ago.” Immediately, her countenance reverted back to its initially cheerful state, “What can I help you with, dear?”

  
“How much would two apples cost?”

  
“That... would be 20 bronze.” was the reply from Fumie. Kuroko nodded, stuffing his hand into his pocket to take out a few bronze coins from what he had with him. Ironically, he then thought, none of the savings he had were actually from his parents, but rather, were from a certain servant from the distant past, who was kind enough to accompany him to town: his very first friend.

  
Paying her the said amount, Kuroko said his goodbyes and went on his way, pulling the hood back up. The apple was fresh, and it served well to quench the thirst of his parched throat.

  
He did not have any particular destination in mind. His thoughts strayed to Fumie and her son - of Ayato who he’d last seen as a toddler; a bundle in his mother’s arms, breathing his first signs of life, unaware of the fact that he had no father to watch him grow. 

  
Eyes fixed on the floor, his shoulder brushed with someone else’s by accident, making him stop on his tracks and break out of his reverie.  
“I’m sorry.” Kuroko shifted, and the first thing he noticed was that the stranger was hooded too, just like him. It was a boy slightly taller than he was, with the clear, distinct scent of a powerful alpha.

  
“It’s quite alright,” The stranger said. His voice had a velvety quality to it, and he sounded not much older than Kuroko, “I wasn’t paying attention.” A short pause, “You are not to blame.”

  
A last apology was murmured before they parted ways. For a moment, the scent had disoriented him, clouding his senses. Kuroko frowned. It was not good to be so distracted, yet still, he found that it plagued his mind. He felt like he should know the scent, from somewhere a long long time ago.

  
_His hair... It was a brilliant shade of red, wasn’t it?_

  
He walked forward, counting his every step like the systematic ticking of a clock’s hand, unable to shake the feeling that he was being watched.

  
\- Looking back, only to realize that there was no one there.


End file.
